


Misadventures of Babysitting

by Plus1STR



Category: Agent Carter (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Cartinelli - Freeform, F/F, Femslash, One Shot, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-01
Updated: 2015-04-01
Packaged: 2018-03-20 15:54:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3656166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Plus1STR/pseuds/Plus1STR
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Trained assassins shouldn't be allowed to babysit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Misadventures of Babysitting

If someone had told Peggy that her future included married life, she would have died of shock produced by sheer disbelief. Not that she hadn’t thought about it once or twice, but her work kept her on edge, always putting herself and those closest to her in danger. Lying and running around trying to keep the world from falling to disarray didn’t offer much wiggle room to accommodate a partner.

On the other hand, if someone had told her Natasha Romanoff would grow to become heavily intertwined in her personal life, she would have laughed all the way to her grave. It wasn’t anything personal against Natasha— well, it was, but Peggy couldn’t hold one misfired missile and a shoddy plane landing over Natasha’s head forever; it wasn’t even Natasha’s fault really. The pair just never quite saw eye to eye when it came to work and that tension often drifted into their lives outside of the job. Natasha simply took pleasure in getting under people’s skin and not being able to tip Peggy’s scales annoyed her at best. Peggy found Natasha’s frequent back and forth between nonchalant and resolute to be exhausting.

But it had been ten years since Peggy’s time at the SSR and those little tidbits that Peggy would have dismissed back then were her reality. Her work life was still delicate, but being the co-founder of SHIELD had its perks and offered her enough stability to invest care and concern into her personal life. She went on to marry Angie; of course they couldn’t marry on paper, but they made their own little ceremony— wrote up vows and wore wedding rings. Natasha had been present for that and saw to it that no one in attendance had any argument as to why Angie and Peggy shouldn’t be wed (including Peggy’s brother); it was that little act of kindness that established a budding friendship between her and Peggy.

Eventually that friendship evolved into Natasha staying with Angie and Peggy at random intervals; eating their food, Angie teaching Natasha how to cook an edible meal, Natasha “borrowing” Peggy’s guns. It was only natural that when Angie and Peggy’s children came along, Natasha integrated into their lives as well.

Natasha became a godsend to Angie and Peggy; on occasion Angie’s roles would force her to travel and Peggy’s schedule as the co-founder of SHIELD did the same. Whenever an unideal set of travel plans came along, Natasha would volunteer to babysit the kids. Knowing they were in good hands always settled Angie’s nerves and reassured Peggy nothing extreme would happen while she was away. Of course, Peggy never counted on Natasha training the children to be miniature spies.

In Angie and Peggy’s presence, Natasha taught the children ballet, but as soon as the mothers were gone, Natasha seized the opportunity to teach them the fine arts of espionage. At first, it was little things; how to silently make their way through the house on the hardwood and tiled floors and blending into shadows and dark corners. After a failed attempt of pouncing on Natasha and a few minutes of wrestling the two energized kids to the ground, Natasha took it upon herself to tutor them in more uncouth areas— boxing, ninjitsu, and safety maneuvers. Months and months of training paid off when they were finally put to use.

As soon as Peggy stepped through the front door, something felt off. Usually when she and Angie got home after a long battle between driving and flights, their children would come bounding down the stairs as if they hadn’t seen them in years. It was quiet; too quiet.

“Peg, where are the kids?” Angie asked from behind, tugging a suitcase along filled with little gifts and trinkets she collected for the little ones.

“That’s a grand question, love.” Peggy instinctively threw an arm in front of Angie to stop her from preceding any further the house.

Peggy cautiously took a few more steps further in the house and that’s when they hit her. Both children tackled Peggy— one at each side— and brought her down to the ground all in one stride. She hadn’t even seen them coming.

“Hello, my darlings.” Peggy sat up slowly, unable to hide her smile at the two proud grinning faces in front of her. “Auntie Nat showed you some tricks while we were away, did she?”

Peggy sent a mock glare up at Natasha who watched on proudly from the balcony; her little assassins in training did well. Peggy couldn’t entirely be upset with her. Peggy herself intended on teaching the children some basic hand-to-hand combat skills once they were older, but Natasha simply beat her to the punch.

“Guess ballet’s a metaphor, huh?” Angie quipped as she dragged her suitcase behind her, a smile playing against her face.

“I taught them that too,” Natasha called from above, resting her arms against the railing.

“Did she teach you this?” Peggy scooped up the two in her arms and wrestled them down to the ground, tickling their sides.

“Be care—” Angie didn’t have the chance to finish the warning when a vase managed to get caught in the crossfire; Peggy managed to nick a stand with enough force that the vase settling on top of it came crashing down to the ground. Angie always hated that vase, but she could do without the mess. She was met with three matching, sheepish looks and a half-smirk from Natasha before she stepped away to fetch a broom.

When she returned, Peggy was up and straightening herself out, animatedly rehashing tales of her travels to their eager children.

“So, who’s sweeping?”

The eight year olds shared a knowing glance before they took off running and Angie chased after them, broom in hand.

“Are you quite pleased with yourself?” Peggy directed at Natasha, only to find that she disappeared. Natasha had a habit of pulling a vanishing act whenever there was cleaning to be done, especially if Angie was the one demanding she clean. One too many well timed dusters and wet sponges being thrown at her conditioned Natasha to bolt whenever Angie got fired up.

“Venite qui!” _Come here._ Angie shouted after her children— well, Peggy’s children when they were being rambunctious. “Clean il pasticcio!” _Clean the mess!_

Angie bounded a corner and stopped in her tracks; the children had disappeared. Natasha also went out of her way to teach them escape tactics. Rose had a knack for silently navigating her way through the ventilation system throughout the house while Steve took to scaling walls.

Before Angie could return on her search, she heard Peggy’s voice, booming from just outside the open window in the hall.

“Steven Buchanan Carter, you get down from there this instant before you hurt yourself!”

Angie poked her head out of the window; Peggy was on the ground, her hand shielding her eyes from the sunlight as her sight tracked along the wall. Angie looked up; catching a glimpse of their son climbing up what was now three stories before his sister pulled him in from an open window. Angie could kill Natasha.

Ten minutes of searching and Angie and Peggy came up empty handing. They were both too tired from traveling to keep up with the chaos that Natasha had been the cause of. Peggy leaned against Angie, whispering softly into her ear.

“The waterworks.”

Angie nodded, taking a few deep breaths before she started heaving. With a quiver of her lips, the tears started to build and spill out. The pathetic sniffling and whimpers eventually drew out the pair from hiding. It was a dirty tactic, but it always worked; one took the broom and the other gathered a dustpan and got to sweeping.

Peggy folded her arms over her chest and watched on in amusement, whispering to Angie again.

“A wonderful performance, Miss Martinelli. Inspiring even.”

“That’s Carter to you.” Angie placed a kiss against Peggy’s cheek before raising an impish brow. “Would you say it was award winning?”

Peggy couldn’t fight off the creeping blush that made its way across her cheeks. “Absolutely.”

“You guys fell for that?” Natasha returned and already began lecturing the trainees on the art of war. They’d need to have a discussion with Natasha about the appropriate activities to involve the children in later.

It wasn’t until the next day when Peggy caught Natasha giving a lesson on deception and the various methods to detect when someone is lying and that is the day that Peggy suggested Natasha shouldn’t be allowed to babysit for a while.

Unfortunately, the only other alternative was Howard.

When Angie and Peggy arrived at Howard’s new home, they found their children covered head to toe in a thick layer of ash and soot; the only clean part of them were their eyes— dirt caked around where their goggles sat against their faces. Rose had Angie’s signature smile sported while Steve looked absolutely horrified.

Howard stepped out of his lab, frantically patting out a small flame that caught onto his shoulder as smoke escaped from the closing doors. Upon seeing Angie and Peggy, he straightened himself out, coughing into his hand before offering up some sort of explanation.

“Rosie here’s got a proclivity for pyrotechnics.”

And that was the end of that.

Angie and Peggy bickered back and forth the next time they were both due to travel.

Peggy pinched the bridge of her nose. “Howard’s not an option. I’d like our children back alive with all of their limbs still attached.”

“So we’re back to Tash.”

“A well-trained assassin.”

“At least Tash used safety precautions, hun.” Angie rested her chin in the palm of her hand as she rested her elbow against the counter.

“I suppose Natasha—”

“Natasha what?”

Speak of the devil and she doth appear.

Natasha slinked into the kitchen, snatching an unbitten apple from Peggy’s hand, and sat herself down at the island. Peggy cleared her throat tapping her fingertips against the counter top lightly.

“Would you mind watching the kids for the weekend?”

“Oh, _now_ , you want my help.”A smirk tugged on Natasha’s lips. “What happened to Howard?”

“Fired.” Peggy snorted at Angie’s joke.

“I dunno. I have a pretty busy schedule.” She put her feet up on the seat beside her, lounging herself between the chairs.

Natasha would never admit to it, but it was obvious that she absolutely adored the children, so much so that seeing the two was the highlight of her day. Their energy and liveliness gave her the motivation to stay with SHIELD. And, above all, she cherished their innocence; it was something she never had the pleasure of experiencing as she grew up in the Red Room and lived through the Black Widow Project. And she wouldn’t admit to it unless she were sick and frail on her deathbed, but Natasha admired Angie and Peggy. They were stable, two healthy pillars that never seemed to crumble down; out of everyone in Natasha’s life, she respected them the most. Perhaps in another life, she would have aspired to have the relationship that Angie and Peggy maintained.

But despite all of that adoration and— dare she even say it— love, Natasha wasn’t walking away from this transaction empty handed.

“What’s in it for me?”

“Our endless appreciation and still allowing you to go grocery shopping in our kitchen?”

“I don’t know, grandma.” Natasha polished her stolen apple against her shirt. “I might need a little more incentive.”

“You can have the pie in the oven,” Angie offered, pausing thoughtful before speaking again. “The whole pie.”

“Is it—?”

“Rhubarb.”

“With—”

“The ginger breaded crust.”

Natasha took a bite out of the apple, smiling behind the chunk. “You’ve got a deal.”

**Author's Note:**

> Another fic based off of [this post](http://www.stuunalee.tumblr.com/post/115094218601) as well as [this one](http://stuunalee.tumblr.com/post/115090818536) and the back and forth between [stuunalee](http://www.stuunalee.tumblr.com) and myself.


End file.
